INFLATABLE MEMBER FOR A PROTECTION DEVICE FOR A SHIP HULL

Abstract

An inflatable member for a protection device for the hull of a ship, characterized in that the inflatable member includes a deformable casing (1B) housed in a textile flexible pocket (1D) unattached to the casing (1B), the flexible pocket (1D) limiting the deformation extent of the deformable casing

Description

The present invention relates to an inflatable member for a shock protecting device for a ship hull.

When a ship is lying along a pontoon or a pier, to avoid damages to the hull, a hull protection device is placed at various points along the hull side facing the pontoon.

This protection device comes as a vertical half rigid roll kept hanging by a rope fastened, for example, to the rail. It is further called a fender.

These rolls, initially kept in the ship, must be put in place manually during docking, then tidied away during displacement at sea or river.

This handling being tedious and dangerous, a device is known in DE-A-297 04 772 or EP-A-0 987 176 that involves fitting out housings in the ship hull where inflatable protection devices are accommodated.

Each device is comprised of a deformable elastic membrane, so that, while deflated, it can be entirely accommodated in the housing and, in the inflated state, this device comes approximately as a sphere. Each inflatable member is detachably mounted on a nozzle of an inflating/deflating system protruding in the housing.

During the inflation, the device wall deformation pushes the protection device out.

Such a system thus avoids handlings and may be remotely managed.

This system, having advantages, nevertheless needs that these means be provided during the hull building.

A second drawback is that these means are placed at a determined level of the ship that does not necessarily match the pontoon or pier height, taking the tide into account.

A third point is that, during docking, these devices bear significant shearing stress that tends to tear them off their nozzles.

Even in a stopped position of the ship, these devices bear a shearing strain.

In these solutions examples, the ship hull must be pierced and many owners refuse to make these holes.

Moreover, for some ships, it is difficult to pierce the hull.

From FR 2 896 227 is known an inflatable device for protecting a ship hull, this device comprising an inflatable member that, in the deflated state, is located in a housing and, in the inflated state, is placed outside the hull, this inflatable member being connected to inflation/deflation means through a duct. It further comprises translatory maneuvering means moving the inflatable member between an internal position, in which it is housed in a tubular chamber, and an external position before its inflation. This product is much more convenient.

The inflatable member must be shockproof Moreover, it must be deformable enough, at first, to be housed in a small cross-section tube and, when it has gone out of this tube, to take up a significant volume.

For the fender to be efficient, it must not deform too much.

To give strength to a rubber balloon, a lattice work may be included in the membrane thickness, like what is done with watering hoses. Unfortunately, this greatly reduces the balloon elasticity and deformation.

Such a solution is impossible to implement with a fender, except by excessively increasing the cross-section of the chamber housing the fender when it is tidied away. Knowing that room is limited aboard a ship, this solution is not suitable.

The wall thickness may also be increased, but this also limits the deformation possibilities.

The invention aims at providing a solution.

With this end in view, the present invention relates to an inflatable member for a protection device for the hull of a ship, characterized in that the inflatable member includes a deformable casing housed in an unattached textile flexible pocket, the flexible pocket limiting the deformation extent of the deformable casing and defining the shape of the deformable casing in the inflated state.

The invention will be better understood with the following description made by way of non limitative example and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, where:

FIG. 1 shows a ship with the protection device in the outside and inflated position;

FIG. 2 shows a protection device in the inside position, viewed from above the ship;

FIG. 3 shows an enlarged view of an inflatable member in the process of inflation; and

FIG. 4 shows an enlarged view of an inflatable member in the process of inflation, the flexible pocket in the extended state and the deformable casing in a half-inflated state.

Referring to the drawings, an inflatable device 1 for the protection of a ship hull is shown. This device must be put in place before docking the ship along the pear or the mooring pontoon.

This protection device 1 comprises an inflatable member 100 movable between a so-called internal position (FIG. 2), where it is deflated and located inside a housing, and a so-called external position (FIG. 1), where it is located along the external side of the hull.

The protection device is housed, at least partly, in a case 300 including an access port 2. This case is provided outside the ship or housed inside. Its transversal dimension is smaller than the cross-section of the inflatable member in the inflated state.

It is preferably entirely housed in the case, except for the power producing means that may be that of the ship.

A jacket 2A guides the inflatable member during the release maneuver.

This case is fixed on the ship deck 400. It is preferably fixed so that the inflatable member is substantially parallel to the longitudinal axis. An inclined plane 50 has been provided to guide the inflatable member towards the outside. The inflatable member thus moves from its housing towards the outside by translatory motion and lateral movement to then tip over downwards.

To inflate or deflate it, this protection device is connected to inflation/deflation means 3 through a duct 4.

For example, a compressor 5 associated to a vacuum pump 6 is used, possibly with a compressed air reserve. These various inflation/deflation means are advantageously housed in the case fixed on the deck in order to make of them an almost self-contained device.

A distributor allows to connect the protection device to the compressor or the vacuum pump.

The protection device comprises translatory maneuver means 7 moving it between both above-mentioned positions.

The inflatable body 100 of the device is released out of the case before being inflated.

The translatory motion of the device thus allows to release it out of the case and bring it outside at a desired level, namely more or less lower than the ship desk.

When it is completely outside the case, it may then be inflated.

Advantageously, it is the air supply/discharge duct 4 of the inflatable device that moves the inflatable member 100 of the protection device.

The duct 4 must therefore be able to exert a thrust effect and a pulling effect.

In order for this duct to be able to act as a thrust, it slides in a sheath 8 fixed at each end.

This duct must also be flexible for example to wind up on a drum 9 driven by an electric motor.

Advantageously, the inflatable member 100 of the protection device is connected to the supply/discharge duct 4 by a coupling 11 allowing rotation of the device relative to the duct.

This point is important because it allows the inflatable member of the protection device to bear a rotating strain and not a shearing strain.

Preferably, the inflatable member 100 of the protection device has an elongated shape so that, when put in place outside the hull, it protects a fair height of the hull.

The protection device comprises a flexible hollow central body 1A, like a metal flexible tube in stainless steel provided with perforations 1C to let the air pass, this tube being surrounded by a deformable casing 1B.

FIG. 3 shows in dotted lines the inflatable member body, in solid lines the casing in the half-inflated state and in mixed lines the inflated casing.

The inflatable member comprises a deformable casing 1B housed in a textile flexible pocket 1D, the flexible pocket 1D limiting the deformation extent of the deformable casing.

The casing 1B not only is deformable, but in the non-inflated state it takes up a small volume allowing it to pass through the access port 2. It is made of elastomer. Its flexibility and its elasticity allow to take up a small volume in the non-inflated state, for it to pass through the jacket 2A, and a big volume in the inflated state.

This pocket 1D is made, for example, of weaved nylon. In a particular embodiment, this pocket is made of high strength polyester formed in tubular knitting. It is tubular with tapered ends. It thus limits the deformation of the deformable casing and allows to increase the pressure inside the deformable casing. This flexible pocket therefore defines the maximum shape that the deformable casing will have in the inflated state.

FIG. 4 shows the shape that the pocket 1D would have in the inflated state of the deformable casing 1B, the deformable casing is nevertheless shown in a partly inflated state.

In the deflated state, the deformable casing takes up little room and the extra-thickness of the flexible pocket is not very awkward. The fact that the pocket is unattached to the deformable casing allows the non-inflated whole to take up a small volume.

Bearing in mind the movement of the pocket 1D and the deformable casing as a whole, this pocket is kept at both ends of it on the casing 1B or on the duct 4 by a glue, a tie or an elastic. This flexible pocket is not fixed on the deformable casing surface because this flexible pocket would limit its deformation.

The supply duct 4 includes a member having tensile strength.

The duct 4 comprises, for example, a flexible metal casing, for example, of the type used for the flexible tube, but airtight, or else this metal duct may house a plastic duct of the type used for pneumatic controls.

A cable may be used to give strength to duct 4.

This supply duct 4 must have a fair tensile strength because, when the protection device is put out, it may bear a significant tensile stress.

Providing a coupling 11 allowing rotation of the inflatable member limits the stress on the duct mainly to tensile stress.

The free end is possibly weighted with lead so that it may assist the movement of the inflatable member of the protection device in the outward direction. It may comprise locally a tapered bearing surface for a fair sealing that could be completed by a seal.

This weight also maintains the device vertically, when it is released, by action of the gravity.

Schematically, a translatory lock 13 of the supply duct is shown.

It may be a rotation lock of the drum on which the supply duct winds up, but also a pressure system.

An indicator of the unwinding length of the tie that connects the protection device to the drum may be provided in order to know, from a remote station, the inflatable member position relative to the deck.

Thus, from a control station, these protection devices, also called fenders, may be put in place without risking to fall in the water, which is very worthwhile for people of reduced mobility.

These devices will be distributed along the hull according to the needs. They are, preferably, self-contained, that is to say the owner only has to fix the case on the deck near the side and to connect the electric current if the device comprises a motor. Of course, the system may be manual with the drum maneuvered with a crank. The inflation may be done from a compressed air reserve, which is filled up when the ship is berthed.

Claims

1. An inflatable member for a protection device for the hull of a ship, comprising:

a deformable casing housed in a textile flexible pocket unattached to the casing, the flexible pocket constructed to limit a deformation extent of the deformable casing.

2. An inflatable member according to claim 1, comprising:

a flexible hollow central body provided with perforations which allow air to pass, said flexible hollow central body being surrounded by the deformable casing and connected to a supply duct.

3. An inflatable member according to claim 2, further comprising:

an air supply/discharge duct of the inflatable member constructed to cause movement of said inflatable member.

4. An inflatable member according to claim 3, wherein the air supply/discharge duct comprises a flexible metal casing.

5. An inflatable member according to claim 1, further comprising a weight at a free end of the inflatable member.

6. An inflatable member according to claim 1, wherein the inflatable member has an elongated shape.

7. An inflatable member according to claim 2, wherein the inflatable member of the protection device is connected to the air supply/discharge duct by a coupling which is adapted to allow rotation of the inflatable member relative to the air supply/discharge duct.

8. An inflatable member according to claim 1, wherein the textile flexible pocket is made of weaved nylon.